How to Record God….

I remember when our Church had a Vineyard team over to Leeds, all the way from Anaheim in California. This would have been in about 1986 or so, I suppose. They’d come to activate us in the healing ministry and it was all very powerful stuff.

They had brought some new worship songs, along with the tapes for us to learn the music and even the sheet music for the songs (not that I could read music anyway; I played entirely by ear, and I still do….). I can remember listening to the tapes with Fiona and being completely lifted into the high realms of worship, and it was almost as if they’d managed to get the Holy Spirit on tape. As we listened to the tapes, we could feel the Spirit welling up in our hearts and were transported into God’s Presence in our spirits. How can a song bear ‘anointing’ in it? How does this work? Is it really possible to capture God Himself on tape?

Well, no, of course it’s not. However the phenomenon is real – you will probably have experienced it yourself – so how does it work?

What’s happening is actually quite simple. Drawn by the Holy Spirit, the worshipper’s face is turned towards Jesus, and that is the point at which you feel the Spirit rising up in your heart. When you worship, the Spirit joins in and makes His presence known. The Spirit wasn’t ever on the tape, but in actuality He was always closer than that – he was right there in your heart all along! The reality of His presence comes as a response to your decision to worship, as your heart turns towards Jesus. That’s what’s happening and should come as no surprise when we remember that one of the things that Holy Spirit does is to glorify Jesus (Jn 16:14); when you decide to do that, He naturally joins in!

So, to complete the picture, let’s do a little experiment. Here are three of the songs that were so anointed in those days, I Will Magnify, It’s Your Blood and Thank You For Being. Have a listen, and don’t be surprised if you feel your spirit responding within you. If you feel your hands raising in worship – even if it’s not something you normally do – don’t stop them. This is a natural response to the love of your Saviour, Jesus. Bless the Lord!